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Ashes 2019

Lindommer

Steve Williams (59)
Staff member
Watched Warner's wicket, was Bancroft asleep up the other end? It's absolutely essential the non-striker be alert for dodgy LBWs, Warner's LBW ball would've missed off stump. WTF? :mad:
 

Finsbury Girl

Trevor Allan (34)
Watched Warner's wicket, was Bancroft asleep up the other end? It's absolutely essential the non-striker be alert for dodgy LBWs, Warner's LBW ball would've missed off stump. WTF? :mad:

considering Warner was batting a mile out of his crease it certainly looked like missing to me. Well worth a review.

It wasn't unplayable, mostly poor cricket shots. Bancroft in particular was an absolute shocker.

Let's hope there's a bit of venom with the ball tomorrow.
 

RugbyReg

Rocky Elsom (76)
Staff member
That Smith innings was something else. I've always been pretty blown away with his abilities (bar the early days when he was positioned as a legspinning answer to Warnie). But that was amazing considering all multiple scenarios at play.
 

John S

Desmond Connor (43)
Smith comes again to save the day. I have a slight bias as he married my cousin, but I still rate him, not tests in 496 days and he pulls off an innings saving knock.
Let's hope our bowlers get the job done tonight.
 

The_Brown_Hornet

John Eales (66)
What do you say about the bloke, that was quite an incredible innings. Keep booing him England fans, he just bats better.

The umpiring was terrible yesterday and all I can say is thankfully the DRS was in place. It didn't disadvantage either side over the other but gee whiz.

Hopefully the ball decks around in the morning. We'll need to be full of length and disciplined, because with a fairly moderate total on the board England could get away from us.
 

Brumby Runner

David Wilson (68)
Watched Warner's wicket, was Bancroft asleep up the other end? It's absolutely essential the non-striker be alert for dodgy LBWs, Warner's LBW ball would've missed off stump. WTF? :mad:

Absolutely agree Lindo. Broad was bowling wide around the wicket and the ball pitched in front of the stumps. Almost impossible to have cut back the required amount to hit the stumps. However, that doesn't alter the fact that Warner should have been out on the first ball he faced.
 

John S

Desmond Connor (43)
Absolutely agree Lindo. Broad was bowling wide around the wicket and the ball pitched in front of the stumps. Almost impossible to have cut back the required amount to hit the stumps. However, that doesn't alter the fact that Warner should have been out on the first ball he faced.

He didn't get much out of that life, that's for sure.
 

Brumby Runner

David Wilson (68)
Some very dicey selections already coming home to roost.

The opening partner for Warner probably shouldn't have been a choice between Bancroft and Harris (one returning to test cricket after a long suspension, and the other with middling test form in the meantime). Khawaja would probably have been a better bet to open, thus allowing Patterson who has excellent form in recent test matches to be retained.

Wade who has very sketchy test form and none of it recent should never have been included in the team. Labuschagne has recent test form, looks to be the better cricketer and has the added bonus of being a leg spin bowler, which the Poms are usually poor against.

Despite his 44 runs, Siddle is there to be a wicket taking bowler. That's a role be hasn't been effective at for a number of years, and certainly not to the level of either Starc or Hazelwood. Will be interesting to watch how he succeeds at his appointed role, but I really think the omission of Starc is going to bite us badly in the test.

Smith is a genius, but he can't win it on his own. Remember Allan Border during the early WSC era when he was the only test standard batsman available to the Australian cricket team?

Just like in rugby, the national selectors are not hesitant to show their lack of smarts when they put a team together.
 

The_Brown_Hornet

John Eales (66)
I don't think the selectors can be marked too harshly. Every bloke picked to come into the team (Patto, Wade, Bancroft, Siddle) is in form and isn't that we always cry out for? Wade's runs were irresistible, Siddle has been excellent for Essex this year (reportedly 32 wickets at 20.43), Patto the same. Bancroft has averaged 45 in county cricket and made the biggest score of the trial game.
 

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
I reckon Siddle is a good pick on this pitch and it wouldn't have suited Starc.

I expect they will all play this series. There is no way Pattinson in particular will get through 5 tests.

In other news, Steve Smith now averages 62.18 in test cricket.

I not completely seriously messaged a group chat of a couple of cricket mates who were also up watching at tea last night when we were 154/8 or thereabouts.

"This will be an unbelievable 150 from Smudge to keep us in the test."

Turns out I wasn't too far off.
 

John S

Desmond Connor (43)
I was tossing up between Siddle and Hazlewood, but yes, Starc would have been a lottery
 

Up the Guts

Steve Williams (59)
I’m going to reserve judgment on selections until the end of the game. A Smith 144 isn’t a great measuring stick for the toughness of conditions for mere mortals.
 

Brumby Runner

David Wilson (68)
I think form at test level v Sri Lanka is far better than form at county/state level.

I really don't think the likes of Wade or Bancroft have the form to warrant selection in the test team over Petterson or Labuschagne.

Similarly, Siddle has been playing against lesser players in county cricket. I will be most surprised, almost shocked, if he obtains a good batch of wickets here especially as his test form over recent years dropped off markedly. Wasn't Starc the leading wicket taker or close to it in the recently ended ODI world cup? Hard to give credence to a claim that he would be a lottery. His main drawback is loss of control when the ball swings a lot. Solution, play him as first change bowler when some of the shine has gone off and the condition of the ball becomes more conducive to his bowling.
 

The_Brown_Hornet

John Eales (66)
BR, your points are well made, but on the subject of form, compare the first class runs made by both players in their last few games (Shield, County, Oz A Tour) if my arithmetic is right:

Wade: 593 runs @ 53
Patterson: 204 @ 18
Labuschagne: 875 @ 58

Marnus is a little unlucky, but he's also been playing Div II county too, so it's a no win situation for the selectors.

Starc is a bit unlucky too, IMHO. He's a top quality one day bowler, but test cricket is different and he has a habit of spraying the ball all over the joint. His record in England is OK, but I think Pattinson is the shock bowler required in these conditions. He has done very well with the Dukes ball and as Mark Waugh says, they'd want the unerring accuracy of Siddle to tie up an end and create pressure. Like he did in the Oval test last time.
 

The_Brown_Hornet

John Eales (66)
I thought the boys were a little unlucky yesterday. Some smarter captaincy would have helped but in the sessions I watched, the bowlers asked plenty of questions of the England batsmen. It goes without saying that they need early wickets this morning or they're toast.

We need to find a way to stay in the game long enough to bring Lyon's spin into it on day 4/5, because I think that pitch is going to be very hard to bat on.
 
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